BEAGLE STILL A MYSTERY
Scientists are no closer to discovering what happened to the ill-fated space probe Beagle 2.
The British probe vanished while attempting to land on Mars on Christmas Day, but an inquiry has failed to find out why scientists lost contact with the craft.
One theory is that unusually thin air over the landing site, probably caused by turbulent dust storms, disrupted Beagle 2's descent and landing systems.
As a result, its parachutes and cushioning airbags may have been deployed too late.
The inquiry said a better knowledge of the Martian atmosphere would be critical to the success of future missions.
But falling through a thin atmosphere was not the only possible cause of failure identified by the report.
The inquiry team said potential system malfunctions could not be ruled out.
They included electronic glitches, a gasbag puncture, damage to the heat shield and a broken communications antenna.
It was also possible that Beagle 2 hit an unforeseen hazard on the ground.
Beagle 2 separated successfully from Mars Express on December 25.
It appeared to be on course for a textbook landing, but then all contact with the £50m craft was lost.
The probe had been due to search for signs of past or present life on Mars using cutting edge technology.
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